Method of sealing a container opening and an apparatus therefor



Dec. 30, 1958 F. E. ULLMAN ET AL 2,866,305

METHOD OF SEALING A CONTAINER OPENING A AND AN APPARATUS THEREFOR 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 14, 1954 Dec; 30, 1958 F. E. ULLMAN EIAL2,865,305

METHOD OF SEALING A CONTAINER OPENING AND AN APPARATUS THEREFOR FiledJan. 14, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 DecQ30, 1958 F. E. ULLMAN ET AL 2,866,305METHOD OF SEALING A CONTAINER OPENING AND AN APPARATUS THEREFOR 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 14. 1954 United States Patent METHOD OFSEALING A CONTAINER OPENING AND AN APPARATUS THEREFOR Fred E. Ullman,Winnetka, and Norman A. Virta, Mount Prospect, Ili., assignors toTriangle Package Machinery Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation ofIllinois Application January 14, 1954, Serial No. 403,982 '21 Claims.01. 53-42 This invention relates to a method of sealing a containeropening and an apparatus therefor subsequent to an indented portion of acover being inserted within the container opening.

In disposable containers made from paper or other cellulose material,impregnated with a leakproofing composition, difiiculty has heretoforebeen experienced in effecting a proper seal for the container openingwhich is capable of withstanding careless and harsh handling of thecontainer without rupturing, prior to the container being opened by theconsumer.

In one form of such container, widely used today by the dairy andbeverage industries in packing one or more of their liquid products, thetop of the container is substanitally flat to facilitate stacking ofsuch containers for storage or shipment. Formed in the flat top adjacentthe marginal edge thereof is an opening to permit filling of thecontainer or to pour the liquid therefrom. Hingedly secured to the topadjacent such an opening is a fiap or cover having an indented portionfor insertion within the opening. The remainder of the cover overliesthe exposed circumjacent portion of the container opening and in mostinstances has a portion of the edge of the cover crimped or bent over acorresponding marginal edge portion of the top. Heretofore in sealingthe indented cover portion within the container opening, subsequent tosuch portion being inserted within the opening, it was the customarypractice to position an end of a collet within the indented coverportion so that it protruded into the container interior and then expandthe collet end, whereupon the indented cover portion expanded and engagethe concealed surface of the circumjacent portion of the containeropening. To permit expension of the collet end, the latter was providedwith a plurality of elongated longitudinally extending open end slotswhich formed a plurality of elongated yieldable fingers capable of beingradially expanded under force. The normal or natural size and shape ofthe collet end was such as to permit the collet end to be readilypositioned in or disengaged from the indented cover portion. ()ne of theserious difiiculties encountered, however, in following this practicewas that, when the fingers of the collet end were radially expanded,relatively large gaps or voids were formed between adjacent fingerswhich resulted in a substantial peripheral portion of the indented coverportion not being forcibly expanded whereupon an ineffectual or weakseal was produced.

Thus, it is the object of this invention to provide a method of sealinga container opening with an indented cover portion and an apparatus forperforming such method, which materially overcomes the shortcomingsheretofore associated with prior methods.

Further and additional objects will appear from the description,accompanying drawings, and appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, an apparatus isprovided comprising an elongated sleevelilge collet having one endthereof contractible and adaptless than that of of the containeropening.

ed to be positioned within the intended cover portion when the colletend is in a contracted relation. The collet end, when in its normal ornatural size and shape, is larger than the size and shape of thecontainer opening. Encompasing the outer periphery of the colletadjacent the contractible end thereof is a collar member which ismovable longitudinally of the collet and, when moved in a direction awayfrom the contractible collet end effects contracting of the latter to asize and shape Disposed within the interior of the collet and movableaxially thereof is an elongated plunger, which, when moved in adirection toward the contractible collet end effects reurn of the latterto it normal size and shape.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should bemade to the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the apparatus takenalong line 1--1 of Fig. 3 and showing the collet end in contractedrelation;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the apparatus as viewed from theright-hand side of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 2- 1 of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of theapparatus and a container in position with respect to the contractiblecollet end prior to the indented cover portion being expanded intosealing relation with respect to the container opening;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating thecollet forcibly returned to its normal size and thereby effecting asealing operation;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged elevational view of the collet, alone;

Figs. 9 and 10 are top plan and bottom views, respectively, of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 1111 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of the top of a containershowing the cover in sealed relation with respect to the containeropening.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, anapparatus is shown for use in effecting a seal between an indentedportion of a cover 21 and the opening 22 formed, in this instance, inthe top surface 23 of a container 24, the latter being constructedpreferably of a paper or cellulose material impregnated with a leakproofcomposition, which will have no adverse effect on the liquid carriedWithin the container. The cover 21, in this instance, is hingedlyconnected at 19 to the container top 23. The indented portion 20 of thecover 21 is preformed and inserted within the container opening 22,prior to the cover being acted upon by the improved apparatus, to behereinafter described.

The improved apparatus, in this instance, comprises a frame unit 25which is adjustable about a shaft 26 to a predetermined fixed position.The unit 25 is held in a desired adjusted position by a pair ofpositioning screws or bolts 27 and 28, disposed on opposite sides ofshaft 26. Unit 25 is provided with a head section 30 in which is carrieda pair of reciprocating substantially parallel shafts or plungers 31 and32. The construction and operation of these plungers will be discussedmore fully hereinafter. Also carried within head section 30 is a campiece 33, adapted to turn about an axis disposed transversely withrespect to the longitudinal axes of plungers 31 and 32. Piece 33 isprovided with a radially extending arm 34, which is disposed outside ofhead section 3 see Fig. 3. The free end of arm 34 is pivotally connectedat point 35 to an actuating rod 36, the movement of the latter beingeffected by some external source, not shown, in accordance with apredetermined cycle of operation. Pivotally connected to cam piece 33and eccentrically disposed with respect to the turning axis thereof arethe free ends of leg sections 37 and 38, which form a part of aninverted U-shaped bridge member 40. The member 40, as seen in Figs. 1and 3, extends above head section 30 and has disposed, between the legsections 37 and 38 and spaced intermediate the bight section 41 of themember 40 and the top of the head section 30, a transversely extendingyoke 42 which is operatively connected to member 40 by a pin 43. The pinis supported at opposite ends by the leg sections 37 and 38 and passesthrough an opening formed substantially at the center of the yoke. Alocking or setting screw 44 is threadably mounted on the yoke 42 forengaging of the periphery of pin 43 and retaining the yoke in a fixedposition with respect to the pin. The ends of the yoke 42, disposed onopposite sides of pin 43, are provided with openings 45 and 46 which areadapted to accommodate the upper ends of plungers 31 and 32,respectively.

Plungers 31 has the lower end portion thereof disposed within a suitablebore 47 formed in head section 30 and is adapted to reciprocate therein,upon turning of cam piece 33. A pair of spaced guide bushings 48 aredisposed within bore 47. The bottom end 50 of plunger 31 is deformed andis adapted to protrude downwardly from the end of bore 47 and terminatewithin a suitable slot 51 formed in a plate 52, the latter beingslidably secured to the underside of head section 30. The plate 52slides relative to the head section 30 in a plane disposed transverselywith respect to the direction of movement of the plunger 31. The plate52 has one edge or side 53 thereof shaped to conform to a portion of themarginal edge of the top 23 of container 24 and effects crimping orbending over a portion 54 of the edge of cover 21, subsequent to orsimultaneously with the indented portion 20 of the cover being sealedwithin the container opening 22. The operation and construction of plate52 is believed well known by those skilled in the art.

Plunger 32, which has the upper end thereof disposed within yoke opening46, projects downwardly from the yoke and terminates within the hollowinterior of a sleeve-like collet 55, which, in turn, is fixedlypositioned within a second bore 56, the latter being formed in headsection 30 and disposed on the opposite side of cam piece 33 withrespect to bore 47. The upper end 57 of the collet is engaged by a lockscrew 58 which is threadably mounted within the head section. Theremainder of the collet extends downwardly from bore 56 and is out ofcontact with head section 30. The collet 55, as seen more clearly inFig. 8, has approximately three-quarters of the length thereof extendingdownwardly from bore 56 and is provided with a plurality ofsymmetrically arranged longitudinally extending open end slots 60.Intermediate adjacent slots are formed yieldable fingers 61 which are oflike construction. The lower end portion 55a of collet 55 protrudesdownwardly from the underside of head section 30 and has the terminusthereof reduced in size to form a shoulder 62 and a radially extendingannular flange 63 spaced longitudinally from the shoulder. A neck orannular recess 64 is formed by shoulder 62 and flange 63. The flange 63,when the collet 55 assumes its normal. uncontracted relation, has adiameter greater than the diameter of the container opening 22. Thus, inorder to locate the flange 63 within the indented cover portion 20, asseen in Fig. 5, it is necessary that the yieldable fingers 61 be urgedtogether so as to contract the flange 63 to a size and shapesubstantially the same as the inserted base 65 of the indented cover Pportion, prior to expansion thereof, see Fig. 5. Formed in twodiametrically opposed yieldable fingers 61a, see

' another and a bore 67, formed adjacent the lower end of plunger 32, soas to permit a transversely extending pin 68 to extend therethrough. Theends of the pin 68 are disposed within aligned openings 70a and 70bformed in an annular collar 71 which is adapted to encompass the outerperiphery of the lower end portion a of the collet 55. One end 68a ofpin 68 is reduced in size and threaded into collar opening a, which isinternally threaded. The interior periphery 72 of collar 71 is out ofcontact with the yieldable fingers 61 and 61a, when the collet is in itsnormal or uncontracted relation, which results when plunger 32 is moveddownwardly relative to the collet. The interior of the collet 55,adjacent the lower end thereof is funnel-shaped and is adapted to beengaged by the lower end of plunger 32 and cause the lower end 55aof'the collet to be forcibly returned substantially to its normal sizeand shape and expand the indented cover portion. At substantially thecenter of each of the fingers 61 and 61a is an outwardly bulging portion73 which tapers toward the lower end of the collet. When the plunger 32is moved upwardly relative to collet 55, the collar 71 is moved inunison therewith, whereupon the interior peripheral surface 72 of thecollar will engage the portion 73 formed on each finger and cause thelatter to move toward the axis of plunger 32. The movement of thefingers is pivotal about the points of juncture between the upper endportion 57 and the fingers of the collet. The elongated slots 60, whichform the fingers 61 and 61a must be only of such width as to permit thelower end of the collet to contract a suflicient amount to allow theflange 63 to be located within the indented cover portion 20. The collar71 is disposed within an enlarged throat 74 formed in the underside ofhead section 30 and in axial alignment with bore 46 and is adapted toguide the movement of the collar.

The neck or annular recess or groove 64, formed in collet 55, is adaptedto accommodate the circum acent portion of the container opening 22, asseen in Fig. 7, when the cover portion 20 is expanded by the colletflange 63 upon returning of the latter to substantially its normal sizeand shape. The shoulder 62, formed on the lower end of collet 55 isadapted to engage the exposed surface of the cover, overlying thecircumjacent portion of the container opening 22, thereby causing suchcircumjacent portion to be engaged on opposite sides by the cover.

The method as practiced by the above described apparatus is as follows:(a) the downwardly protruding end of the collet 55 is contracted byupward movement of plunger 32 caused by cam piece 33, rotating in acounterclockwise direction to the position shown in Fig. 1; (b) thecontainer 24, which is positioned on a raisable platform 75, see Fig. 5,is raised up relative to collet 55 so that the contracted flange 63 ofthe collet is located within the indented cover portion 20 and contactsthe base 65 thereof, whereupon the flange 63 is disposed below thecontainer top surface 23; (c) the contracted flange 63 or lower end ofthe collet is then returned substantially to normal size and shapewhereupon the base 65 of the indented cover portion 20 is expanded to asize and shape greater than that of the container opening 22 so that theouter periphery or marginal portion of the base contacts the concealedor interior surface of the container top; (d) subsequent to orsimultaneously with the expansion of base 65, certain portions of theedge 54 of the cover are bent or crimped over the corresponding marginaledge portions 76 of the top by the deformed edge 53 of plate 52, whenthe latter is moved to the right from the position, shown in Fig. l; and(e) the lower end of the collet, including flange 63 is once againcontracted to the size and shape shown in Fig. 5, and simultaneouslytherewith plate 52 is moved to the left whereupon the platform 75 islowered carrying container 24 and effecting disengagement of the collet55 and the indented cover portion 20. Subsequent to this aforenotedsealing operation, the container 24 is moved by a conveyor, not shown,to the shipping or storage station. In instances where portions of theedge of the cover do not extend beyond. the marginal edge of thecontainer top, step (d) of the method may be omitted.

Thus, it will be seen that a method-has been provided which produces amore effective seal for a container opening wherein the seal is capableof withstanding harsh or careless handling of the container withoutbeing ruptured or broken. Furthermore, an apparatus has been providedfor practicing this method, which engages substantially the wholemarginal portion of the base of the indented cover portion by reason ofthe yieldable collet fingers being in closer relation with respect toone another and results in more positive engagement of the underside orcence aled surface of the container top by the expanded base of theindented cover portion.

While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown above, it Willbe understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limitedthereto, since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplated,therefore, by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications asfall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. The process of sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within an aperture subsequent to the indentedcover portion being inserted within such an aperture, which processcomprises providing a unitary structure having a slotted contractibleend portion of a normal size and shape larger than that of the aperture,contracting the contractible end portion of said structure to a size andshape less than that of the aperture, locating a portion of saidcontractible end portion, when in. contracted relation, within theindented cover portion whereby a part of said end portion is disposedaxially on opposite sides of the aperture, expanding said end portiontoward normal size and shape whereby said. indented cover portion isexpanded and portions of said cover snugly engage the opposite sides ofthe circumjacent portion of the aperture, and disengaging said unitarystructure and indented cover portion subsequent to the contractible endportion thereof being contracted to a size and shape smaller than thatof the aperture.

2. The process of sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within an aperture subsequent to the indentedcover portion being inserted within such an aperture, which processcomprises providing a unitary structure having a slotted contractibleend portion of a normal size and shape larger than that of the aperture,contracting the contractible end portion of said structure to a size andshape less than that of the aperture, locating a portion of saidcontractible end portion, when in contracted relation, within theindented cover portion whereby a part of said end portion is disposedaxially on opposite sides of the aperture, expanding said end portiontoward normal size and shape whereby said indented cover portion isexpanded transversely with respect to the axis of the aperture andportions of said cover snugly engage the opposite sides of thecircumjacent portion of the aperture and the perimeter of the apertureas well, and disengaging said unitary structure and indented coverportion subsequent to the contractible end portion thereof beingcontracted to a size and shape smaller than that of the aperture.

3. The process of sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within an aperture subsequent to the indentedcover portion being inserted within such an aperture, which processcomprises providing a unitary structure collet having a contractiblecollet-like flanged end portion, the normal size and shape of the latterbeing larger than that of the aperture, locating the flanged collet-likeend portion within the indented cover portion, subsequent to contractingsaid flanged end portion to a size and shape smaller than that of theaperture whereby the flanged end portion is extended axially through theaperture to the opposite side thereof, expanding said collet-likeflanged end portion to substantially normal size and shape whereby saidindented cover portion is deformed and portions of the cover snuglyengage the opposite sides of the circumjacent portion of the aperture,and disengaging said collet-like flanged end portion and indented coverportion subsequent to said contractible flanged end portion beingcontracted to a size and shape smaller than that of the aperture.

4. The process of sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within a eontainer opening subsequent to theindented cover portion being inserted within such container opening,which method comprises providing a unitary structure collet having acontractible slotted end portion with the normal size and shape thereofgreater than that of the container opening, contracting said slotted endportion to a size and shape smaller than that of the container opening,locating said slotted end portion, when in contracted relation, withinthe indented cover portion whereby said slotted end portion contactingthe indented cover portion projects axially into the interior of thecontainer, expanding said contracted slotted end portion toward normalsize and shape whereby the portion of the indented cover portionprojecting into the interior of the container is expanded transverselyto a size and shape larger than that of the opening for the container sothat the concealed side of the circumjacent portion of the containeropening is snugly engaged by the expanded indented cover portion.

5. An apparatus for sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within a container opening subsequent to theindented cover portion being inserted within such container opening,said apparatus comprising first unitary means having a contractibleslotted end portion for disposition within the indented cover portion,said contractible slotted end portion, when in normal relation having asize and shape larger than that of the container opening, second meansoperatively connected to said first means and movable relative theretofor etfecti-ng contraction of said contractible portion from said normalrelation and returning said first means to normal relation from acontracted relation, and third means operatively connected to saidsecond means for effecting actuation of the latter.

6. An apparatus for sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within a container opening subsequent to theindented cover portion being inserted within such container opening,said apparatus comprising an elongated unitary structure having acontractible slotted end thereof for disposition within the indentedcover portion, said contractible slotted end, when in normal relation,having a size and shape larger than that of the container opening andbeing provided with a peripheral end-encompassing groove spaced from thetip of said contractible end for accommodating the segment of saidindented cover portion bounded by the container opening, and meansmovably mounted on said unitary structure for etfecting contraction ofsaid contractible end from normal size and shape when moving in onedirection relative to said end, and effecting return of saidcontractible end to normal relation upon relative movement of said meansin a second direction.

7. An apparatus for sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within a container opening of a given size andshape subsequent to the indented cover portion being inserted Withinsuch container opening, said apparatus comprising an elongated hollowcollet having a contractible end portion for insertion within andwithdrawing from the indented cover portion only when said collet endportion is contracted from its normal size and shape which is largerthan the given sizeand shape of the container opening, and means movablymounted on said collet for effecting contraction of said end from andreturn of the latter to its normal size and shape; said means having afirst portion disposed within said collet and movable axially thereof, asecond portion encompassing the outer periphery of said eontractiblecollet end and movable longitudinally thereof, and a third portioninterconnecting said first and second portions foreffecting unitarymovement thereof.

8. An apparatus for sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheetmaterial within a container opening of a given size andshape subsequent to the indented cover portion being inserted withinsuch container opening, said apparatus comprising an elongated hollowcollet having a contractible end portion for insertion within andwithdrawing from the indented cover portion only when said collet endportion is contracted from its normal size and shape which is largerthan the given size and shape of the container opening, a collar memberencompassing the outer periphery of said contractible end and relativelymovable in a direction longitudinally thereof, said collar member, whenmoving in one relative direction effecting contraction of said colletend, an elongated element disposed within the interior of said colletand movable axially thereof, said element, when moving in one directionrelative to said collet effecting return of said contractible endportion to its normal size and shape from thecontracted relation of thelatter, and means interconnecting said elongated element and collarmember for effecting unitary movement thereof.

9. An apparatus for sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within a container opening of a given size andshape subsequent to the indented cover portion being inserted withinsuch container opening, said apparatus comprising an elongated hollowcollet having a contractible end portion for eating the terminus thereofwithin the indented cover portion only when the terminus is contractedfrom its normal size and shape which is larger than that of thecontainer opening, said contractible end portion being provided with aplurality of longitudinally extending open end slots having the blindends thereof terminating at a predetermined distance from the terminusof said end portion, the outer periphery of said contractible endportion having a segment thereof tapered in a direction toward saidterminus, the interior of said collet having a funnel-shaped segmentadjacent the terminus of said collet, a collar member encompassing theperiphery of said contractible collet end and movable longitudinallythereof, said collar member when moving in a direction away from saidterminus contacting said tapered peripheral segment and effectingcontraction of said contractible end portion, an elongated elementdisposed within the interior of said collet and movable longitudinallythereof, said elongated element when moved in a direction toward theterminus of said collet contacting said interior tapered segment andeffecting return of the contractible end portion to its normal size andshape, and means interconnecting said collar member and elongatedelement for effecting unitary movement thereof relative to saidcontractible end portion.

10. An apparatus for sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within a container opening of a given size andshape subsequent to the indented cover portion being inserted withinsuch container opening, said apparatus comprising an elongatedsleeve-like collet having one end portion thereof provided with arestrictive opening, said collet end portion being contractible andbeing positionable within or withdrawable from the indented coverportion only when said end portion is contracted from its normal sizeand shape which is larger than the size and shape of the containeropening, the terminus of said contractible end portion being providedwith a peripheral flange for disposition within the indented coverportion adjacent the concealed surface of the circumjacent portion ofthe container opening, said collet terminus being provided with aplurality of narrow open end slots extending longitudinally therefrom toa predetermined distance from said terminus, a collar memberencompassing the outer periphery of said contractible end portion andbeing movable longitudinally thereof, said collar member when movinglongitudinally of said contractible end portion in a direction away fromsaid terminus contacting the outer periphery of said collet andeffecting contraction of said terminus, and an elongated core elementdisposed within the interior of said collet and movable axially thereofin unison with said collar member, said core element, when moved in adirection toward said restricted collet opening contacting the interiorsurface of said collet and effecting return of the contractible endportion to its normal size and shape.

11. The process of sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within an aperture subsequent to the indentedcover portion being inserted within such an aperture, which processconsists in providing an elongated structure having a contractibleendportion comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed fingermembers, separated by slots which open through one end of the structure,said finger members terminating in outwardly extending flange portionswhich, together with said slots, initially define a complete annulu s,substantially similar in outline to that of the aperture, but of largersize, moving the fingers inwardly to reduce the size of said flangedannulus to one which is smaller than that of the aperture, therebyreducing the width of the slots, locating said flanged annulus withinthe indented cover portion while in reduced size, moving the fingersoutwardly to increase the size of the said flanged annulus towardinitial size whereby said indented cover portion is expanded andportions thereof are caused snugly to engage the peripheral edge portionof the sheet material defining the aperture, restricting the size of thesaid flanged annulus to one permitting withdrawal thereof from theindented cover, and withdrawing the flanged annulus from the sealedindented cover.

12. The process set forth in claim 11 in which the aperture and thecover indentation are both of circular form and in which the flangedportions of the finger members are of such arcuate shape that asinitially formed and positioned they define an interrupted circle, theradius of which is of the order of the radius of the circle which theflanged parts are to occupy when expanded within the cover indentationto effect the sealing operation.

13. The process of sealing apertures in a plurality of sheets ofmaterial, in which an indented cover formed of deformable sheet materialis disposed within each aperture prior to the sealing operation, whichprocess consists in providing an elongated structure having acontractible end portion comprising a plurality of longitudinallydisposed finger members, separated by slots which open through one endof the structure, said finger members terminating in outwardly extendingflange portions which together with said slots defining a completeannulus, similar in outline to that of the aperture, but of larger size,initially moving the fingers inwardly to reduce the size of said flangedannulus to one which is smaller than that of the aperture, locating saidflanged annulus within the indented cover portion in the first sheet tobe treated while in said reduced size, moving the fingers outwardly toincrease the size of the said flanged annulus toward initial sizewhereby said indented cover portion is expanded and portions thereof arecaused snugly to engage the peripheral edge portion of the materialdefining the aperture, restricting the size of the said flanged annulusto one permitting withdrawal of the flanged annulus from the indentedcover, causing withdrawal of the annulus from the indented cover, andsealing additional covers 9 by moving the flanged end portionintolandtout of position with respect to the indentations in the coverswhilst in contracted condition, and wherein the steps of bothcontracting and expanding the flanged fingered erid portion obtain onlywhilst such end portion is positioned within the confines of the coverindentation.

14. The process set forth in. claim 13, in which the aperture and coverindentation are both of circular form and in which the flanged portionsof the finger members are of such arcuate shape that as initially formedand positioned they define an interrupted circle, the radius of which is'of the order of the radius of the circle which the flanged parts are tooccupy when expanded within the cover indentation to effect the sealingoperation.

15. An apparatus for sealingly uniting an indented cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within a container opening of a given size andshape subsequent to the indented cover portion being inserted withinsuch container opening, said apparatus comprising in combination, meansfor supporting a container with the end having the positioned coverportion exposed, an elongated tubular unitary structure having a slottedcontractible end portion of a normal size and shape larger than the sizeof the indentation in the cover, means for contracting the contractibleend portion of said tubular unitary structure to such reduced size aswill permit disposition of the lower end thereof within the indentationin said cover, means for causin relative movement between the containersupporting means and said unitary structure to dispose the lowermost endportion of the contractible end portion within said cover indentation,means for expanding said contractible end portion to effect displacementof portions of said cover member radially out-ward to effect sealingengagement of the cover portion and contiguous container material, themeans for contracting said end portion being again actuated aftereffecting such sealing engagement of the cover with the container, andmeans for causing relative movement of said container supporting meansand said unitary structure to effect relative separation of the end ofthe unitary structure from the indentation in said cover.

16. The process of sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within an aperture in a sheet of materialsubsequent to the indented cover portion being inserted within such anaperture, which process comprises providing a unitary structure having aslotted contractible end portion of a normal size and shape which is atleast larger than the size of the inndentation in the cover portion,initially contracting the contractible end portion of said structure tosuch smaller size as will permit same to be accommodated within theindentation of the cover member to be sealed and after the structure hasonce been initially contracted to said smaller size thereafter for thesealing of each cover in a sheet of material locating part of saidcontractible end portion within said indentation so that a part isdisposed axially on opposite sides of said aperture, expanding thecontractible member toward normal size and shape, thereby enlarging theindentation at least in part so that portions of said cover snuglyengage the opposite sides of the circumjacent marginal portion of thesheet material defining the aperture, contracting said contractible endportion to a size sufficiently small to permit withdrawal thereof fromthe indentation, and causing sufficient relative movement between theindented cover portion and said contractible end portion, while thelatter is in contracted condition, to relocate the same outwardly of theindentation.

17. The process of sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within aperture in a sheet of materialsubsequent to the indented cover portion being inserted within such anaperture, which process comprises providing a unitary structure having aslotted contractible end portion of a normal size and shape which islarger than the size of the aperture in the sheet material, initiallycontracting the contractible end portion of said structure tos-uchsmaller size as will permit same to be accommodated within theindentation of the cover member to be sealed and after the structure hasonce been initially contracted to said smaller size thereafter for thesealing of each cover in a sheet of material locating part of saidcontractible end portion within said indentation so that a part isdisposed axially on opposite sides of said aperture, expanding thecontractible member toward normal size and shape, thereby enlarging theindentation at least in part so that portions of said cover snuglyengage the opposite sides of the circumjacent marginal portion of thesheet material defining the aperture, contracting said contractible endportion to a size sufliciently small to permit withdrawal thereof fromthe indentation, andcausing sufficient relative movement between theindented cover portion and said contractible end portion, while thelatter is in contracted condition, to relocate the same outwardly of theindentation.

18. The process of sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within an aperture in a sheet of materialsubsequent to the indented cover portion being inserted within Such anaperture, Which proces comprises providing a unitary structure having aslotted contractible end portion of a normal size and shape which is atleast larger than the size of the indentation in the cover portion, saidend portion being also provided with a peripheral groove, initiallycontracting the contractible end portion of said structure to suchsmaller size as will permit same to be accommodated within theindentation of the cover member to be sealed and after the structure hasonce been init'ally contracted to such smaller size thereafter for thesealing of each cover in a sheet of material locating part of saidcontractible end portion within said indentation so that said peripheralgroove is disposed axially on opposite sides of said aperture and with aportion of the .material defining the groove contacting the outersurface of the cover, expanding the contractible member toward normalsize and shape, thereby causing peripheral portions of said indentationto be conformed to said groove and to be crimped peripherally over theopposite sides of the circumjacent marginal portion of the sheetmaterial defining the aperture, contracting said contractible endportion to a size sufficiently small to permit withdrawal thereof fromthe indentation, and causing sutficient relative movement between theindented cover portion and said contractible end portion, While thelatter is in contracted condition, to relocate the same outwardly of theindentation.

19. An apparatus for sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within a container opening subsequent to theindented cover portion being inserted within such container opening,said apparatus comprising first unitary means having a contractibleslotted end portion for disposition within the indentation 0f theindented cover portion, said contractible slotted end portion when innormal relation having a size larger than the size of the indentationwith which it is to be used, second means for effecting contraction ofsaid contractible end portion from said normal relation to such smallerone as will permit said end portion to be accommodated in saidindentation and means for expanding the contracted end portion towardnormal relation to effect sealing of the indented portion of the coverin a container opening.

20. The combination set forth in claim 19 in which said contractible endportion of said first unitary means is provided with a peripheral groovespaced from the tip of the contractible end portion for accommodatingthat peripheral portion of the indented cover wall bounded by thecontainer opening.

21. An apparatus for sealing an indented portion of a cover formed ofdeformable sheet material within a container opening subsequent to theindented cover portion being inserted within such container opening,said apparatus comprising first unitary means having a contractibleslotted end portion for disposition within the indentation of theindented cover portion, said contractible slotted end portion, when innormal relation having a size larger than the size of the indentationwith which it is to be used, second means for effecting contraction ofsaid contractible end portion from said normal relation to such smallersize as will permit said end portion to be accommodated in saidindentation, means for causing sufiicient relative movement between acontainer with the 12 indented cover portion inserted in the aperturetherein and the contractible slotted end portion whilst in contractedrelation to locate the said end portion operatively within theindentation for sealing purposes and to locate the endpo-rtioncxternally of the indentation subsequent 2,366,748 Murch et al.Jan. 9, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIONPatent No, 2,866,305 December 30, 1958 Fred Eu. Ullman et al.

Column 1, line 27, for "packing" read packaging line 46, for "engage"read engaged lines 47 and 48, for "expansion" read expansion column 2,line 1, for "intended" read indented line 5, for 'Encompasing" readEncompassing column 3, line 10, before "head" strike out "the"; line 17,strike out "of", first occurrence; line 22, for "Plungers" read--Plunger column 5, line 15, for "cenceale'd" read concealed column 8,line 61, for "defining" read define column 9, line 49, for"inndentation" read indentation line '70, after "Within" insert Signedand sealed this 21st day of April 1959.

(SEAL) Attest:

KARL H. AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

